Shirt construction



June 30, 1193. w. MEISLER ET AL SHIRT CONSTRUCTION Filed March 11, 1935 Patented June 30, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SHIRT CONSTRUCTION Application March 11, 1935, Serial No. 10,508

2 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in shirts and more particularly to the construction of the cuffs thereof, whereby a more economical system of manufacturing may be obtained and whereby it becomes possible to effect large economies in the retail distribution-of the shirts. While the following discussion and-detailed description of the invention will be made with reference to an outer or dress shirt, e. g. a mans shirt, it is to be understood that the invention may be applied with profit to the construction of any type of garment provided with sleeves.

Ready-to-wear shirts areusually sold according to size of collar or neckband and according to sleeve length. Considering the case of mens shirts, the shirts come in sizes of 14 to 17 for the neckband, or collar, increasing by half sizes.

Thus the manufacturer will usually make and the retailer will be stocked with the following series of sizes, namely 14, 14 15, 15 16, 16 and 1'7, altogether seven distinct sizes. A shirt having one of these neckband or collar sizes is manufactured in varying sleeve lengths. Taking the case of white shirts, the manufacturer usually provides sleeve lengths varying from 31 to 3''! inches inclusive, increasing by one inch; hence, in seven distinct lengths. The retailer is therefore confronted with the necessity of carrying each of the collar sizes in all of these multiple sleeve lengths and as a result must stock no less than forty-nine difierent lots and, it must be remembered, that so far the discussion has been with reference to white shirts only. It will be readily appreciated what a problem these various sleeve lengths now present to the manufacturer and still more so, to the average, comparatively small, shirt retailer. In order that he may be in a position to satisfy the demands of any customer, for ready-to-wear shirts, he must keep continually in stock a large number of sizes many of which are only in demand at infrequent intervals. If he does not keep all the sizes in stock, he runs the risk of losing a sale and very'often, a customer.

If one takes into consideration, the present propular demand for colored, or novelty ready-to-we-ar shirts, the seriousness of the problem as outlined above will be readily understood.

Many attempts have been made to solve the problem. Thus it has heretofore been proposed to provide the sleeve with a series of fastener members and a single cooperating fastener 'mem ber on the body portion of the shirt, whereby the length of the sleeve may be adjusted. It has also been proposed to provide the cuff of the sleeve with a series of concealed pleats or lines of stitches, which may be successively removed in order to obtain the desired sleeve length. In a different manufacturing line, that of sweat shirts it has been proposed to provide the sleeves with relatively elastic, knitted panels, extending throughout the whole length of the sleeve, the knitted structure including a continuous cuff, the latter being of course distinguished from the split cuff of the usual outer shirt. structure has been primarily designed to permit ready removal of the garment, it has the incidental advantage that it permits minor accommodations of size variations. However, the

While this 1 O latter types of garments are not to be confused 15 with the highly specialized class of outer or dress shirts (I) where particular problems of manufacture and distribution have to be considered; (2) where the requirement of the customary split cuff structure has to be accommodated, and (3) in particular, where the paramount necessity of neat appearance demanded by the user has to be satisfied. As far as is known, none of the proposals has attained any practical importance in the actual manufacture of shirts.

In addition to these heretofore proposed expedients, it is of course, well known to use at times separate elastic bands, which are placed on the forearms over the shirt sleeves.

These several expedients, while useful, present the objections of being uncomfortable or, in some cases, actually injurious to the health of the wearer, as in the case of the separate or garter type of armband. Moreover, in practically every instance the sleeve has to undergo some alteration or modification concomitant with a sale which, even in the case of a simple or outer ready-to-wear shirt occasions delay and/or some expense. While these objections may appear to be relatively slight, the shirt manufacturers and particularly the shirt retailers, have for years endeavored to remedy the condition recited as, in most cases, it prevents the shirt from being immediately used upon its sale, and hence causes considerable inconvenience to the customer.

Briefly stated, the present invention overcomes the disagreeable and unsightly effects of oversized sleeves and at the same time, eliminates the necessity for the manufacturer to make and the retailer to stock, in the case of ready-to-Wear outer shirts, a permutation of neckband sizes, or collar sizes, and sleeve lengths. The disadvantages of the current system of manufacture and fpair the durability and appearance of the shirt for discomfort or injure the wearer in the least;

and a shirt constructed according to" the invention may be made by simple manufacturing 15 methods. a a 7 e Referring to the drawing:

Figure 1 is a perspective view 'ofthe lower por-j tion of a' sleeve and showing the invention applied to the-'cufi of the sleeve, which is associated 20 with the conventional outer ready-to-wear shirt (not shown). f E 'T Figure 2 is a view in elevation showing the split cuff of Figure 1 fully eigtended.

Figure 3 is a diagram indicating the series of 25 sleeve lengths which heretofore have been associated with each one of the seriesof neckband sizes, e..g. in case of white shirts.

In Figure 1 there is illustrated the lower portion of a sleeve H] which is customarily attached to the conventi-onal outer or dress, ready-to-Wear shirt (not shown) and in position upon the arm of the wearer. fIhis sleeve includesa cuff portion 'H of the split type, the opposed edges of which are indicated by the reference numerals l2 and r 35 I3. The'cuff ii is provided with one of the usual 7, types of separablefastener means, e. g. a button f. M and correspcnding buttonhole, l5, By reference to Figure 2 it will be seen that the cuff l I is provided within its confines and/or 4 as an integral part thereof with a coplanar elasf'tic means represented by the numeral lfi. This elastic means may be of any desired structure or material, of which many varieties are commercially available, and which will exert its elas- 45 ticity transversely of the sleeve, i. e. in the direction of the arrows shown in Figure'Z." In the practical embodiment of this invention, it was .found that the material known as Lastex is very satisfactory in this'connection, since it'can 50 be (1) knitted and (2) prepared as a white material or suitably colored, soas to be indistinguishable from the remainder of the cuff and shirtmaterial, (3) wiii absorb perspiration and (4) 'is washable. As illustrated in the drawing, 39 this elastic means is embodied in the form of. a trapezoidal s aped panel or insertv secured to the bottom of the sleeve ifi and the adjacent side portions of the cuff ll, l8 by suitable lines of stitching I9, 217. The length of the larger or major baseportion of the panel l6 varies in accordance with the size of the neckband of the with which the cuff is associated. As will be read-- ily appreciated these lines of stitching are of a type to present a smooth, continuous and unin- {m terrupted appearance to the cuif. In connection with the line of stitching !9 it is preferred to have this relatively loose, in order to compensate for the strains incidental to stretching and, in P this connection, the adjacent sleeve portion is provided with gatherings or pleats 2i. 'In this manner the elasticity of the panel is available to the maximum and therei's no danger of tearing the cufi or sleeve or of breaking the stitches securing the same together during use. This is an important feature in that it enhances the effistitching l9.

ciency of the invention and renders it durable and an attractive appearance. 7

While the elastic means has beenfillustratedas a'trapezoidal pa er or insert of Lastex secured by stitches, it Tmay of course take other coplanar forms, sizes" and shapes, as will be ap parent to one skilled in the art; for example, the entire cuff may be elastic material, such as Las tex, or the cuff fabric. mayjnclude a sufiicient number of elastic threads. Referring to Figure 10 ,1, where the cuff of this invntion isshown applied to the wrists of a wearer, the elasticmeans in. the cuff provides a gentle but sufficiently snug binding fit of the cuif to the wrist, so that the sleeve is adjustably retained in relation to the a wrist in a manner to prevent the slipping down .of the cuff on thewrist, whereby objectionable exposure of the sleeife is'avoided in the case of overlength sleeves.- Hence, it will be seen, that for a given meckband size it will no longer be necessary td? manufacture seven distinctsleeve length s,.for example, '31 to 3'7 inclusive, as graph- 1 ically shown in Figure 3, as is current practice in the case of white shirts, which is the case illustrated. On the contrary, it is suffic'ient to providtwo sleeve lengths only, namely, 33 and'36,

shown, in full lines in Figure 3, to accommodate in a satisfactory manner all reasonable demafnds front the standpoint of neatness and comfort. There results therefore a very substantially gm- 3i) plification and saving in' the manufacture and merchandising, the importance of which will be readily understood. V f i In' the case of colored or noveltyf shirts it is current practice to make these up in sleeve lengths of 33, 34, and, by the use of this invention, a single sleeve length will actually suflice to -meet demands normally requiring sleeve lengths vof 32 to 35 inclusive f I a V In" the manufacture of a shirt embodyingithe 40 presentinvention, the appropriate size of insert,

7 based upon neckband size of the shirt, is sewed along one edge, preferably, the longest edge to s the :bottom of the sleeve, by means of loose stitching as explained above.

of the sleeve or the pleating is accomplished simultaneously with the forming of the line of Thereafter the insert is stitched to the edges of the portions l1 and [8 of the cuff by lines of stitchinglfl or the stitching I 9 and 20 may be continuous or simultaneous operation. .The cuff is of course out so as to receive the trapezoidal insert in the manner shown; Where a two-ply cuff is used the side edges of the Lastex are sewed between the plies. As stated,

the stitching in all cases isof a type to present a smooth or unobtrusive appearance and the insert is for all practical purposes indistinguishable fromthe remainder of the cufi, sleeve or shirt. After. the sewing operation the cuif is finished in.

the usualmanner.

By the term coplanar we mean thatthe elas-. tic means are within the plane of the cuff, when the cuff is in a flat position. a

Various modifications or changes may be resorted to all of which are comprehended within 7 the scope of the appended ciaims.

fines of the and and within the plane thereof for The top of the insert is 45 l associated with the previously pleated portion 21 rendering the sleeve retainable in relation to the wrist, whereby objectionable exposure of the sleeve is avoided.

2. An outer shirt having a sleeve and a cufi portion, the latter being in continuation of the sleeve and exposed, the cuff portion being split and provided with fastening means, said cuff portion consisting substantially entirely of a single continuous layer of elastic material coplanar with said sleeves for rendering the sleeve retainable in relation to the wrist, whereby objectionable exposure of the sleeve is avoided.

WILLIAM MEISLER. MILTON WOLF. 

